Common corncockle vs الخرشنة الشائعة, خطاف البحر

Agrostemma githago compared with Sterna hirundo

Key Differences

Common corncockle is Critically Endangered while الخرشنة الشائعة, خطاف البحر is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common corncockle	الخرشنة الشائعة, خطاف البحر
Kingdom	Plantae (نباتات)	Animalia (حيوانات)
Phylum	Magnoliophyta (كاسيات البذور)	Chordata (حبليات)
Class	Magnoliopsida (ماغنولانية)	Aves (طيور)
Order	Caryophyllales (قرنفليات)	Charadriiformes (إفجيجيات)
Family	Caryophyllaceae	Laridae
Genus	Agrostemma	Sterna
Species	Agrostemma githago	Sterna hirundo

Conservation Status

Common corncockle

CR — Critically Endangered

الخرشنة الشائعة, خطاف البحر

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common corncockle	الخرشنة الشائعة, خطاف البحر
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common corncockle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including montane grasslands and shrublands, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, and temperate coniferous forests, among 13 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Lesotho), Asia (7 countries), Europe (24 countries), North America (Canada, Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Brazil, Chile). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

الخرشنة الشائعة, خطاف البحر

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, flooded grasslands and savannas, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 9 distinct biome types spanning the Neotropic and Palearctic realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (7 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela). Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common corncockle

<em>Agrostemma githago</em>, commonly known as common corncockle, is an annual flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. Once a widespread weed of cereal crops across Europe, Asia, and beyond, this species is now Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to the dramatic decline caused by modern agricultural practices, particularly improved grain cleaning and herbicide use. Corncockle is a tall, slender plant covered in silky white hairs, bearing large, solitary pink to purple flowers with distinctive dark veining. Its seeds contain toxic saponin compounds called githagins, which historically contaminated grain supplies. The species now survives primarily in wildflower conservation areas, seed banks, and traditional farmland conservation schemes. It typically grows in open, disturbed arable soils with full sun exposure. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

الخرشنة الشائعة, خطاف البحر

Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List. At high risk of extinction in the wild, with significant population decline and ongoing threats to survival.